I really can't believe it's 2026 already!
As per usual, it's goal setting time.
Heath - 2026 is already shaping up to be an eventful year in terms of my heath, with some overdue maintenance, many different appointments, and even surgery to replace a tube in my ear at some point. And since I don't feel like putting much of this off more than I have, or have any number of doctors criticizing me, I'm deciding to make this year a slightly healthier one.
First, this means eating a little better. What started as an "out" during the pandemic, has turned into a bit of a habit when it's come to my pensions for junk food. Not cutting things out, but making a conscious decision to reduce my intake.
Second, exercise! I always write about doing the treadmill, and always seem to not end up doing it. Well, this time I've made a plan, set small goals for myself, and drawn up an actual schedule. I'm combining my walking with another goal to do re-watches of many of the TV series I've got on DVD. I walk and watch, then record the amount of time, series, and episode I just watched on a printed-out calendar. My first goal is to finish the first two seasons of Babylon 5 by the first of March.
Along with the treadmill, I've even started doing yoga and pilates-type exercises with my mother. They're short videos on YouTube and most of it is stuff I've been told to do for most of my life anyway. Just something different.
Now for the usual fun stuff.
Reading - At the end of the Summer, my sister moved out and I moved into her bigger room. One of the biggest challenges was figuring out what to do with the incredibly large amount of books and comics I've amassed over the years. Despite getting a bigger room, I still had more reading material than I had space for. The next couple months were spent figuring out what I wanted to keep, then selling, donating, or simply trashing the rest.
After the purchase of a second bookshelf, and too much schlepping, I've got things to a somewhat more stable volume. But two of my favourite novel series, James Rollins' Sigma Force and Peter Brett's Demon Cycle, will have new installments by the Spring, so I may need to make a little more room.
Until my birthday the end of May, I'm doing a read-through of as much as I can (especially if it's something I may want to part with), keeping to a schedule similar to my treadmill/DVD calendar.
Travel - TCAF 2026 is being held at the same location on roughly the same weekend as last year, so I think I'll plan on going again! I know I've said it's expensive and wasn't quite as exciting as it used to be, but it's a short trip, convenient, and something I, and my family, know I can do independently, so it's kind of worth it.
Going to Nova Scotia some time in the Summer to say one last goodbye to my Nanny Perkins.
If there's time, a trip to Manitoulin Island. I read somewhere recently that there's a site there called Sheguiandah with a collection of some of the oldest stone tools in Canada which would be cool to see. I've been to Manatoulin Island once before for years ago for a family camping trip, and it was a nice place.
All that and, likely, more or less.
Cheers!
